AN: yeah another chapter out just less than a day from the other. I had a lot of free time and inspiration to write so it came out of me like pudding.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, just my single OC, Conelle.
"Hey Conelle, it's time to wake up. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I don't want to have to sleep in here again." there was a voice that interrupted her sleeping, and dreaming, bringing her back into the world of the awakened.
"What?" she slurred. Immediately Conelle was fully conscious of the pain in her leg, which brought her to full awareness. The pain made her gasp in surprise and confusion.
"Be careful, don't freak out. We're in the cave remember?" Calem said, attempting to help alleviate the disarray that comes with being half conscious. The cave and the darkness it brings was now apparent to Conelle, who had to control her rising panic. Of all the irrational fears in the world, why did mine have to be this total dark and secluded kind of fear?
Conelle sat up, taking her sleeping bag with her. Calem would have laughed if he could have seen her. She looked like a red Caterpie. Conelle shifted her arms in an attempted to unzip herself from the confines of the bag. Her efforts however, were in vain, as she could only unzip the bag a short way before she could no longer reach the zipper, and bending her body too much was painful in her state.
On the outside of the bag, Conelle could feel Calem's hand push against hers as he found the zipper. She felt cold air hit her left arm as Calem finished opening up her sleeping bag. Once free from the warmth of the bag, Conelle reached for her bag, feeling around until she felt the plastic thread of it.
Conelle opened up the bag and felt around inside for her hairbrush. Even if they were in a dangerous situation she didn't want to have hair so tangled that it needed to be cut off once she got out of the cave. When she found what she was looking for she gripped the handle and fulled it to the crown of her head. A soft sound of the brush's teeth against her scalp could be heard.
"What are you doing right now Conelle?" Calem said.
"I'm fixing my hair. I don't want any tangles or mats." Conelle said. She ran the brush down the length of her hair, hitting a small tangle, she forced the brush through the offending piece, straightening it out. The tugging sensation in her hair and on her head was a bit of a soothing and relaxing feeling.
"Right now? Your brushing your hair right now. In the cave. In the dark. You know we could die soon, and your caring about your appearance?" Calem said exasperatedly.
"Yes well I don't want my hair to be so messed up, wild, tangled, and matted that once we get out of here I have to cut it off. I rather enjoy my long hair, even if it takes a bit of extra work to keep in good order." Conelle said matter of factly. It was very much true that she had long hair. Her honey blonde hair fell down in rivers to nearly scrape her bottom. Not only did she have a lot of hair, but her hair was thick. It was probably one her most prized possessions and she would like to keep it that way.
"Yeah whatever. Just ask me when you would like some help out of that bag and onto your feet. I'm gonna clean up my stuff." he said. Conelle continued to brush out her hair. Calem impatiently waited for her to finish her task.
Once her toils where completed, she had Calem drag her out of the sleeping bag. Then she rolled it up and found the straps to put it back on her backpack. Finally she put her bag onto her back, and had Calem hoist her up.
So began another pain filled day of slow agonizing walking through the depths of the cave. The agony in her leg was the only thing keeping her sane at the moment. No doubt Calem was feeling some kind of discomfort. He had to bend down for hours at a time to support her, as well as the shoulder that held most of her weight, as insignificant as it was, was also his bruised shoulder.
It was not longer than an hour of slow and small steps, when there was a change in the atmosphere. The air seemed to steadily become fresher. This was a great relief from the stuffy, musty, and moldy air Conelle had been breathing in for the last twenty four hours. The air was also very humid, and Conelle had felt as if she was going to drown with the amount of the water about.
"Do you feel that? The air smells fresher! I think we are getting closer to an entrance!" Calem said, excited. He certainly was correct that the fresh air and slight breeze was a much welcome change.
As soon as he said that Calem tried to move faster. This was a problem for Conelle who could only move so fast while hopping. She was forced to keep up with him though. The extra jostling was causing even more pain for her now. Her hops were much larger, putting more weight on Calem as well. This was ultimately what made him stop.
"Oh right... I forgot you can't move so fast with that injury." Calem immediately slowed down his progress, allowing for Conelle to catch her breath and suppress the pain. It worked best for her if she forced herself to imagine the pain as only a feeling. Conelle was doing her best to muscle, and willpower her way through the injury.
Even if she could temporarily ignore the pain to an extent, it was always there. She knew it would take time for her injury to heal, especially if her knee was broken. While she didn't necessarily know how broken bones worked she knew that it would take time to heal. Perhaps even months.
Conelle took another deep breath, "I think I'm okay for now, we can move, but please keep it slow. I know that slow sucks, but the Shuckle pace we have been setting is about all I can handle. Also, I know that me leaning on you hurts because your shoulder is slow. Jostling it will only make it worse won't it?" Conelle said. In the dark she looked at where she thought his face was and smiled, even if he couldn't see the expression.
"Well I guess you're right, besides we don't have to worry so much any more. It seems like we are nearing to safety." Calem said. He was right too. Conelle knew that they were close to the outside now, but she didn't know how close to the inevitable freedom they were. She couldn't see still, which meant that they were still far enough away for the light to now reach them. It could be that they were just a few twist and turns away from being outside and in the sweet sunlight again.
They began their hobbling pace again. Conelle was right when it came to the twists and turns. Not very long after they started their painful and dark enclosed journey again, did they encounter a series of winding passages. In the dark it was hard to tell how many turns they had made, or how sharp the turns were.
Conelle began to hear the faint echoing song of the ocean's waves crashing against the beach and cliff side. The air gained a salty tang, and the humidity became somewhat clingy. Slowly the echoing roar of the ocean got louder.
Suddenly there was dim light to be seen. Conelle could barely make out, in shades of gray, Calem's silhouette. The darkness took on a shape. The craggy cave they were traversing was quite large, imposingly so.
"Do you see that too Calem?" Conelle said.
"What? Do you mean- do I see anything? Is that what you meant, because I'm getting some shadowy silhouettes and a pretty good image of the cave we're in." he said excitedly, with maybe a hint of sarcasm, and a dash of hope.
That was it. Her eyes were definitely not playing tricks on her. She really was seeing things. She was truly seeing thing, and everything got brighter by the minute as Calem stepped forward, and she hopped along beside him. Even if she was making an effort to ignore the pain, that didn't mean that it was gone. Even now in her excitement the feeling was still being marred by her agony that had steadily gotten worse over the last bit of a day or so that she had been with injury.
Suddenly though, her excitement was taken away from her. She gasped in surprise and shock. The small burning piece of kindling that was her hope of escape was severely tested. She looked up. At the source of the light and ocean sounds and smells. A large fissure was open to the sky. High in the ceiling was their hope, now diminished.
Although Conelle was deterred, Calem certainly didn't seem so. "HEY!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, facing the large crack in the ceiling. "Somebody help, or get help!"
Conelle knew now what he was doing. Even if they couldn't get out on their own, somebody could be able to hear them. If so, then a rescue team could be dispatched and they could be airlifted out of the cave.
With this realization Conelle began to shout out as well.
Just when it seemed as if nobody was going to answer their pleading calls, a shadow fell over their vision. Conelle looked up to see the figure of a person.
"Hello?" they called down, and instantly Conelle recognized the voice as that of a man. "How did you guys get down there?" he called.
Calem responded, "We fell down here, this is the first time we've seen light in over a day. Do you have access to a phone, because we need help. My friend here is injured from the fall and I think she could use medical help."
"Yeah hold on. I'll call 788 and see if I can get a rescue team out here. Just sit tight, and don't go anywhere you two will be safe in no time!" he said, shouting down at them. Conelle's hope was rekindled and she smiled. Tears were in her eyes, and fell down her cheeks, dripping off from her chin.
Calem noticed her tears and embraced her in his arms. The sudden action surprised a short squeak out of her. Calem's warm body seemed to surround her in itself. Conelle returned the action, wrapping her own arms around his body and burying her head in his chest.
Conelle cried herself out while they waited for rescue, wrapped up in Calem's body, and pressed against his chest. Calem stood there running his hands through her hair in a soothing manner. He rested his chin on her head.
Very soon Conelle could hear the roaring sound of a helicopter. She looked up from where she was wetting Calem's chest with her tears, now since dried out. The massive machine eclipsed the sunlight that was flowing into the cave through the large hole.
The rescue team lowered a gurney, with a man.
"Okay, so since the girl is the injured one here we will take her up first," the man shouted over the sound of the helicopter. Calem helped Conelle hop over to the gurney, and helped the rescue man set her in the gurney. Then he stepped back and allowed for her to be taken up and into the complete safety of the helicopter.
As the winch pulled her up into the day light she had to close her eyes. The sunlight was far to bright for her eyes, which had adjusted to the darkness of the cave. It was a peculiar feeling being airlifted in a gurney. Even though she knew that she was suspended in the air there was still a sensation of solid ground, Considering that she was being supported by ropes. As Conelle was pulled closer to the helicopter she was assaulted by the powerful tornado of wind pushing down at her from the powerful blades of the flying machine.
Once she was inside of the helicopter, the gurney man was lowered back down to retrieve Calem. A small group of what Conelle could only describe as doctors began to examine her body for damage. They started with her head and slowly worked their way down to her leg. They were completely silent as they worked. She wouldn't be able to hear them over the roar of the helicopter anyway.
It was painful for her, though, when they began to examine her knee, which she knew for sure at this point was broken. In the light of day she could see that it was very swollen and purple with bruises. Even if the doctors were trying to be gentle with their probing of her knee it still sent shock waves of pain all through her body.
Conelle just gritted her teeth and toughed her way though the agony. Meanwhile Calem was having his own thorough examination. The doctors spent most of their time focusing on his shoulder which was bruised.
It didn't take long for them to reach Cyllage City, which was the closest bit of civilization with a hospital. After they landed, Conelle was taken in on a gurney to an emergency room. She could see Calem walking and talking to one of the medical staff.
The white lights and cleanly, chemical smell of the hospital was what she was greeted with as she was wheeled through the halls. Once she was placed in a room, they helped her onto a table where she could be addressed and properly examined. The emergency personnel told her that a doctor would be in shortly to address her condition and give a diagnosis.
It truly was not long before she heard the steps and saw the white coat of the man who would be seeing her.
"Hello. My name is Dr. Lighter. I understand that you were emergency rescued from a cave. Can you tell me about what happened?" Dr. Lighter said. He had a small notepad and a pen with him. Probably for taking note on what she said, as well as for noting her condition. "First off, can I have your name so that I may contact your parents?"
"Y-yes. My name is Conelle Far. Now where to start? Hmm... I was with my traveling partner and we where going through connecting cave. A horde of Zubat attacked us, and we where forced to run. My partner, Calem, pulled me into a small side passage. From what he told me, we fell into the cavern where we were rescued. I could not remember falling, but I trust that that's what happened. I hurt my knee, as you can see, and had to use Calem for support as we tried to find an exit. I don't know how long we were down there, I think for just a day and a half, or so." Conelle stopped to take a few breaths. "We found the hole where we were rescued and the rest is history." she sighed.
Dr. Lighter took some notes down on his book. "Okay so from what the emergency personnel have told me, you exhibit signs of a concussion, and your kneecap is broken. We are going to have to take some X-rays to see how bad the damage is. Regardless of how much it is damaged, it's probably going to take six to eight weeks for you to heal completely." he said, continuing to write notes down onto his little notepad. "We'll get your parents called to inform them that you where injured, as well as rescued."
The doctor walked out of the room muttering to himself. Conelle just had to wait it out. Eventually a nurse came in to assist in taking her to get X-rays done. While the process was painful it was over and done with soon enough.
After the X-rays, Conelle was placed in another examination room where she waited for the doctor to arrive. Once again he showed up with his nose buried in something, this time it was a picture of her leg.
"Okay so we contacted your parents and it sounded like your mother was going to fly up here to Cyllage from Santalune. Another thing," he continued, "You are going to need surgery to correct your broken patella bone otherwise it will not heal properly. I want to get this surgery done as soon as possible, so that you can get on with your life and not have to worry about your knee. You may see lasting effects because of your injury, but a quick surgery should fix you up really quick. We have your parents' permission to execute a surgery, but we still need your consent to do it." Dr. Lighter said.
"W-well I've never experienced something like this before so I don't know..." Conelle said worriedly. "I guess that if getting it done sooner will be better for me then that's what I'll have to do."
Dr. Lighter nodded. He proceeded for the next few minutes to tell about the surgery, and how it worked. The kind of damages that her knee had taken, as well as discussions about therapy after her bone had healed completely.
Once he was finished with his speech and discussion, Dr. lighter excused himself to prepare some of the surgeons on staff for the procedure. In the meantime Calem decided to make a visit. The doctors had finished with him nearly an hour ago.
"How are you doing?" he asked, taking a seat next to her on the table.
"They are going to preform surgery on my kneecap to help set it. My mom gave the O.K., so they will perform the procedure as soon as possible, they're preparing for me right now."
"Good thing the Kalos region has free healthcare, eh?" he said nudging her arm with his elbow.
"Well I guess, but I'm more than a little bit terrified by the surgery." Conelle said, looking down at her swollen knee.
"Yes well this isn't a life threatening procedure, especially with the past few years of medical advancement." Calem said.
"Y-yeah whatever. Any way, how about you. what's up?" Conelle said
"Yeah my injuries didn't take long to inspect and prescribe. The doctors just said to limit the use of my arm connected to the shoulder injury. They just gave me some pain meds and I was on my way." Calem said with a shrug.
Well at least he was fine. Even if she was injured pretty badly, Calem was fine.
Then Calem stood up. "Well I'm gonna go and get something to eat, maybe shop for a few supplies. I'll see if I can't come and visit you again after the surgery. Can't leave my traveling partner hangin'" he winked as he walked out.
Not too long after Calem left, a nurse came in to escort her to a surgery room.
Conelle woke up in a hospital bed, the glaring white luminescent ceiling peeking down at her. She was in a bright blue gown, under the covers of sheer white sheets. After this initial observation, she came to notice that two people sat next to her bed. They were having a conversation.
"Hmm. I see. So you two met at the Pokemon center in Camphrier town." a familiar voice said.
"Yeah. Most of the tables in the cafeteria were full up so I asked to sit next to her. It was a pretty quick bonding experience I think." Calem was speaking, she thought.
"Yes well I know I've told you before, but thank you for being there for my daughter. You honestly probably don't know how much it means to me- oh hey I think she's awake!" Conelle definitely knew who that voice was now.
"How are you feeling sweety?"
"Hi Mom. I'm feeling okay, I think that they numbed me or something though, because my left leg feels pretty fat," Conelle said quietly.
Her mother giggled. "Yes well they did drug you so that did happen. They told me that the surgery was a success, which I'm happy to hear." Conelle's mother said.
"Yeah it's pretty good. The doctor said I would need I cast for a few weeks." Conelle said.
Conelle's mother, Janette was her name, stood and moved over to the bedside.
"Hon, I think you should fly back home with me so that I can take care of you while you recover." Janette said, taking one of Conelle's hands in her own two.
"I don't think so Mom. That would be the same thing as giving up on my journey, which I can't end now. I've already come so far, and seen so much."
"Well hon I can't leave your father alone for very long, and if you are going to be stubborn, I'm going to have to make this young man at least check up on you occasionally" she gestured to Calem, "You know how your dad gets. If I left him alone for too long he would burn down the farm, and get killed by his own Combee colony. He couldn't butter toast without stabbing something..." she said.
Conelle giggled just a little bit, "Well I guess that's true, but I can't expect Calem to hang around for six weeks to make sure I'm fine. We ended up traveling together, as well as stuck in that cave situation completely, and purely by accident and coincidence. There was only one road to get to the next town, and since Ambrette town was a destination, we ended up walking side by side." She finished on a serious note.
Calem spoke up now, " while I am on my own journey, for now I have plans to head over to Ambrette town to fulfill some research for the professor. Then I'm going to be training to fight the gym leader here in Cyllage, as well as study some of the wildlife in the area." Calem then turned to Janette, "While I will be gone for maybe a week in Ambrette town, I can check up on Conelle when I come back here to do the gym challenge, and research."
"Well Calem I don't know how to thank you for filling in for me," she said, eyes twinkling with thankfulness. She pulled Calem into a quick hug. "I'll have to go back home soon," she separated from Calem, "I've already been away for a few days, so I had better get back before your father kills himself."
"Wait," Conelle said, "how long was I out for?" she was thoroughly confused now.
Calem responded this time, "Well you see, you were pretty worn out from the little fiasco we had. The doctor said that it wasn't abnormal for you to sleep it off. Also, the anesthetic they gave you was pretty tough stuff, and probably contributed." he shrugged.
Just as Janette was leaving the room Dr. Lighter came in with a nurse
"It's good to see you awake and kicking. I think it's safe to put a cast on. You'll need it for a few weeks, so you're going to have to stay in town. I would like to check up on you every two weeks, so make sure to hang in there." the nurse behind Dr. Lighter approached and handed a pair of crutches to Calem.
"Here you go make sure you help her up. Doubtless she will be more than a little bit wobbly after just waking up. She needs to be getting used to using these though." the nurse said, she bowed slightly before backing up a bit.
Dr. Lighter continued, "Speaking of crutches, lets talk about long term muscle weakness. When you broke your knee you also tore the connecting muscles to the kneecap. Probably for years ahead in your life your left leg will be weak. You'll probably have to use a cane. Physical therapy can correct most of the damage, but you will still be a little weak and stiff. Even if you are a little bit weak, it shouldn't stop you from journeying. If anything, once your bone has completely healed, I would encourage you to travel. It would be a good way to build some muscle back into your leg. Now finally, I think you would like to know how to use crutches, I'm sure you've never had to use a pair before, or even seen someone else have to use them." Whenever the good doctor spoke he always had so much to say.
Conelle nodded. Then she pulled the sheet off from herself and sat up. Calem walked over to the side of the bed and helped her swing her legs over the side of the bed.
"Okay first off, crutches rest under your arms. Basically you use them to support your weight while you swing yourself forward." Calem demonstrated. He sat his arms on top of the crutches and lifted his left leg into the air. "Pretty sure it's a no-brainer, but you are going to want to lift your injured leg up off the ground." he then swung forward, placing his right foot on the ground and then brought the crutches forward and in front of himself.
He demonstrated it again a few more times until Conelle felt like she knew what to do.
"O-okay Calem. I think I know what I'm doing now. Just give me the crutches and help me up."she said nervously.
First, Calem adjusted the crutches to fit her much smaller size, then he came over to her and handed the crutches to her. Then he made sure that she had a good hold on them before putting is own hands under her arms to lift her up.
"Okay Conelle give it a try. I'll catch you if you screw up," he said it playfully with a smirk.
Conelle just glared at him defiantly. Calem put his hands on her waist to help balance her as she put the crutches under her arms. She gripped the handles which where in just the right place for her small hands to reach them.
Tentatively, Conelle took a small hop forward, then brought the crutches forward to support her self.
Calem gave her a thumbs up, "lookin' good soon you won't look really awkward, and stupid trying to move about." Conelle took her right hand off of the handle to punch him in the shoulder. Unfortunately for her, though, she dropped the crutch. Then she lost her balance and wobbled to the right. Quickly Calem moved to catch her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and stopped he movement. Then he sat her back down on the bed laughing.
"You probably shouldn't let go of your crutches I don't want you to fall and hurt yourself while I'm taking care of you. Wait to get hurt again after I'm not obligated to be your caretaker." he was still laughing even as he bent down and took the crutch into his hands, then handed it back to Conelle.
"Let's get you into a cast and discharge you from the hospital." Dr. Lighter said. Then he stepped out of the room and walked down the hallway, his nurse following him closely. Janette was gone by now, probably back to the honey farm to save her husband from himself.
Calem helped her back onto her foot and they followed, albeit slowly at first. Quickly Conelle grew accustomed to the crutches and their lurching gait, and was able to keep up a steady, if not wobbled, pace. They headed down the hallway behind Dr, Lighter, towards whatever room he had planned for her now.